New upgrades for 911 center

Construction being done at the new 911 Center

Floor Plan of the new Albany Dougherty 911 Center

911 Operators are working out of the Emergency Operation Center

ALBANY, GA (WALB) -

The 911 center in Albany is expecting a new look within the next few months to replace outdated equipment for emergency responders. The new center will hold more than one million dollars worth of upgrades for 911 operators.

"We'll come back with all new consoles our 800 megahertz system will be refreshed and we'll be getting a new next gen 911 system," said Communications Manager Charlotte Floyd.

The new Albany-Dougherty 911 center will be able to receive emergency text messages which is an upgrade paid for with sales tax money.

"And of course the voters had to vote on it and we are really appreciative of the fact that we were voted on to be able to do this center," said Floyd.

For now, 911 Operators are working out of the Emergency Operation Center next door to the renovations.

"It was a good move for us, it was a smooth move," said Floyd. "I'm very proud of the fact that it went so smoothly. We got all of our mission critical systems moved in less than a day."

"They work a long shift so it's good that they have good equipment so that they can be fresh and ready to respond at any time there is an emergency," said Deputy Director Jim Vaught for the Albany/Dougherty Emergency Management.

The new center will be finished by the end of August. Renovations are also underway at the Albany Dougherty Fire Department Training Center which will serve as the back up 911 center.